Richard rohmer biography

Canadian aviator, lawyer, adviser, penny-a-liner and historian

Richard Heath RohmerOC CMM OOnt DFC CD KC (born January 24, ) is fastidious Canadian aviator, lawyer, adviser, hack and historian.

Rohmer was inherent in Hamilton, Ontario, and weary some of his early boyhood in Pasadena, California, as ok as in western Ontario fall back Windsor and Fort Erie.

Position Peterborough Examiner's lead editorial provision January 14, describes Rohmer in that "one of Canada's most clear figures of the past half-century". General Rohmer served as ex officio advisor to the Chief an assortment of the Defence Staff of picture Canadian Armed Forces from generate He was the advisor survive the Minister of Veterans Relations for the organization and administer of Canada's celebration of goodness 70th Anniversary of D-Day archives in Normandy in June paramount the 70th Anniversary of probity Liberation of Holland in Possibly will He is a veteran reproduce D-Day, the Battle of Normandy and the Liberation of Holland.

Military career

After his studies make money on high school he worked for the time being at Fleet Aerospace before joined in on his 18th cheer the Royal Canadian Air Power (RCAF). In Europe in –44 as a reconnaissance pilot air North American Mustang fighters let go completed a mission tour revenue operations at the end for November in Holland.

On July 17, , he had marked a fast-moving staff car, as is usual used to carry German teachers. According to Rohmer, the Teutonic officer being carried was Corral Marshal Erwin Rommel.^[1] Rohmer prevailing the car's location to Embassy Control Centre, which sent show a Spitfire piloted by Conflict Charley Fox.

Rohmer took terminate in D-Day and the Battles of Normandy, Belgium and Holland. He is now the superior surviving Canadian veteran of visit of those battles.

In , he was demobilized and transferred to the Royal Canadian Nautical Reserve (RCN(R)), where he was appointed as a lieutenant (P) RCN(R) with seniority.

He served at HMCS Hunter in Dynasty, Ontario, as commanding officer Foundation Naval Training Division (UNTD) use until he retired in ^[2]

In , he returned to illustriousness RCAF (Reserve), flying Vampire jets and commanding Squadron (City wages Toronto) and Squadron (County countless York).

He retired in orangutan a wing commander.

In , he was appointed honorary Lieutenant-Colonel (and later Honorary Colonel) lady Air Reserve Squadron. In Apr , he was promoted be determined brigadier-general and appointed Senior Wave Reserve Advisor. On April 1, , he was appointed commandant of the newly formed Isolation Reserve Group.

On 31 Jan he was promoted to magnanimity rank of major-general and settled Chief of Reserves. He was appointed a commander of primacy Order of Military Merit quantity December and left the bellicose in January

On December 22, , Major-General (Retired) Rohmer was named honorary advisor to loftiness Canadian Armed Forces Chief recognize the Defence Staff, a three-year appointment "created to recognize MGen (Ret’d) Rohmer’s contributions to blue blood the gentry Canadian Armed Forces, and distinction unique advice and guidance consider it he provides to the Leader of the Defence Staff, pulling from his wealth of stop thinking about in service to Canada".^[3][4]

On June 26, , in his faculty as honorary advisor to greatness Chief of the Defence Pike, General Rohmer was promoted tell off the rank of Honorary Helper General by the outgoing gift incoming Chiefs of the Shelter Staff.^[5]

Political career

From to , Rohmer was a councillor on Northern York township council representing Tackle 1, the township's easternmost local, which included Don Mills, whirl location his family had lived on account of ^[6]

In , he unsuccessfully challenged Hollis Beckett, the incumbent Increasing Conservative MPP in the travel of York East, for grandeur Conservative nomination for the Lake general election.^[7]

In the s, unquestionable supported John Robarts's successful electioneering to lead the Ontario Continuous Conservative Party and then served as a senior advisor extra legal counsel to Premier Robarts for three years.

He contemporary Robarts conceived the idea, adoptive by the provincial legislature get through to , that the province take up a provincial flag modelled chunky the red ensign. The send was in response to interpretation Great Canadian flag debate thorough which the federal government contracted to drop the Canadian Boneless Ensign in favour of glory maple leaf flag.^[7]

Rohmer is spruce up monarchist.^[4]

Mid-Canada Corridor

In the late remorseless and early s, Rohmer promoted a plan for a megaproject to develop and populate rectitude Canadian sub-Arctic which he labelled the "Mid-Canada Corridor".

While excellence plan interested some industrialists, CEOs, bankers, and the railways, proceedings failed to win support let alone the Canadian government.^[8]

Legal career

Rohmer, who completed his legal studies bear Osgoode Hall Law School,^[9] was called to the Bar upgrade , appointed Queen's Counsel hostage , and currently holds "not practising law" status with decency Law Society of Ontario.

During his law practice he was counsel before several administrative tribunals in land use and traffic. His major official plan blether success occurred in when translation counsel for Canadian National Limit and Canadian Pacific Railway bear their subsidiaries he appeared previously the Ontario Municipal Board rivet a six-week contested hearing make certain resulted in the change drawing the official plan for convince of the railway use belongings around Union Station from Yonge Street to Bathurst Street ( acres) to a high fixedness mix of residential, commercial, play, hotels, sport centres and bottle up uses including construction of integrity CN Tower.

That official display is the basis for geezerhood of enormous development on honesty lands - lands then dowel now worth billions of bucks. It was the largest bona fide plan change in the features of Canada. He practiced travel litigation with the Toronto enactment firm of Rohmer & Fenn. ^[10]

Literary activities

Two of Rohmer's better-known novels are Ultimatum and Separation.

Ultimatum, published in , sovereign state political, economic, and energy turning point themes as well as interpretation author's opinion about the usefulness of the Canadian nation. Event is Rohmer's most popular novel^[1] and it was the at the top of the tree novel in Canada in ^[11] Three years later, Rohmer publicized Separation, a novel with helper and international political themes adjacent the ambition of Quebec separatists to establish the Canadian district as a separate nation.

Control stayed on the Toronto Star's best-seller list for 22 weeks.^[12]Separation was made into a idiot box movie in , and very soon on the CTV network. Barry Morse was cast for uncomplicated brief appearance as the Island prime minister.

He is unmixed well known Canadian author line of attack both fiction and non-fiction.

All the time his literary career he has published over thirty books. Climax most recent non-fiction is The Building of the CN Tower published by RailCore Press Opposition. of which he is helmsman. His most recent novel, Ultimatum 2 was published early Orderliness fictionalizes a confrontation between interpretation US and Russia against Canada over the building of peter out international high level nuclear desert disposal site in Arctic Canada.

The second edition of ruler historical novel on the –67 Canadian negotiations with the Country for autonomy under the Brits North American Act is Sir John A's Crusade and Seward's Magnificent Folly.

Rohmer chaired the Converse Commission on Book Publishing guaranteed –

Volunteer work

He was dual chancellor of the University very last Windsor, serving a total dominate 13 years.

In , perform negotiated the donation of Author Black's collection of Duplessis archives in exchange for an discretionary degree.

He was a rental member of his local (Don Mills) Civitan club,^[13] and unquestionable served as treasurer of nobility international organization. His position legal him to meet U.S.

Chief honcho Dwight D. Eisenhower to presentday Civitan's World Citizenship Award.^[13]

He was chairman of the 60th festival of D-Day celebrations that took place in the presence scrupulous the Queen of Canada have doubts about Juno Beach in Normandy hold on 6 June As ministerial adviser to the Minister of Veterans Affairs he took part rope in the planning, preparation and function of the government's celebration emblematic the 70th Anniversary of D-Day at Juno Beach, France, be a consequence June 6, , and was similarly engaged in the line-up for the in-Holland Canadian ceremony of the 70th Anniversary accomplish the Liberation of the Holland on May 5, He remains now one of the exceedingly few surviving Canadian veterans unsaved both of those Battles (Normandy and Holland).

He co-chaired ethics Ontario advisory committee that begeted the veterans' memorial unveiled get back September 17, in front fortify the provincial legislature at Queen's Park, was chair of honourableness Premier's Ceremonial Advisory Committee (), and was a ten-year participant of the advisory council make a fuss over the Order of Ontario.

Rohmer currently holds the following token positions: honorary deputy commissioner interrupt the Ontario Provincial Police; voluntary chief of Toronto Paramedic Services; patron of the Toronto Weigh down. John's Ambulance (–), honorary passion chief of Collingwood, Ontario, see honorary chief of the Toronto Police Service.

He is likewise the original honorary Chief provide Paramedics in Ontario,^[14] and do too much until was patron of class Toronto division of St. John's Ambulance.

Personal life

His wife depict 70 years, Mary Olivia (nicknamed Mary-O), passed away in Jan ^[15] He has two daughters: Ann, a TV personality, humbling Catherine, a lawyer.

He equitable a licensed pilot.

Rohmer stale on January 24, ^[16] endure resides in the veterans’ convince of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Pivot in Toronto.^[17]

Bibliography

• Practice and Procedure Already the Highway Transport Board ()
• The Green North: Mid-Canada ()
• The Monarchical Commission on Book Publishing (Chair, )
• The Arctic Imperative () Toronto, McClelland and Stewart ISBN&#;
• Ultimatum () Toronto, Clarke, Irwin ISBN&#;
• Exxoneration ()
• Exodus UK () Toronto&#;: McClelland move Stewart ISBN&#;
• Separation () McClelland give orders to Stewart ISBN&#;
• Balls! ()
• Periscope Red ()
• Poems by Arthur Henry Ward ()
• Separation two ()
• Pattons Gap () Unusual York&#;: Beaufort Books ISBN&#;
• Triad ()
• Retaliation ()
• Massacre ()
• Rommel and Patton ()
• Starmageddon ()
• Hour of the Fox ()
• Red Arctic ()
• John A.'s Crusade ()
• Death by Deficit ()
• Caged Eagle ()
• Raleigh on the Rocks ()
• Generally Speaking (autobiography, ) Toronto, Dundurn Group ISBN&#;
• Ultimatum 2 () Toronto, Dundurn ISBN&#;
• Building of the CN Tower ()
• Building of the Extravagantly Dome/Rogers Centre ()
• Sir John A's Crusade and Seward's Magnificent Folly ()
• Canada's Arctic: Moscow's Next Ukraine ()

Honours

Honorary degrees

Richard Rohmer has agreed many honorary degrees in relaxation of his service to Canada, these include:

Notes

References

External links